Irritability, stress, feeling jumpy … these are the most obvious consequences of lack of sleep, which everybody has experienced at some time. Sleep deprivation also forms part of the most effective tortures dreamt up by dictatorial regimes. In many ways, sleep is really restorative.

“Did you sleep badly? Did you get out of bed on the wrong side?” Popular common sense often reminds us that lack of sleep affects our appearance and our behaviour. More than the most elaborate creams and ointments, a good night makes us look better, and naturally gets rid of dark circles and bags under the eyes. Researchers at the University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland have proved it – the effects of skin ageing are greater for bad sleepers. The reason is that our cells regenerate three times faster at night than in daytime.

Sleep has many other powers too, as shown by another study, carried out this time by the University of Rochester in New York State. While we’re awake, neuronal activity is such that waste products accumulate. The role of sleep is to get rid of them. This restoration of brain cell function is a real catharsis, and good restorative sleep reduces the risk of a stroke and of Alzheimer’s. It goes without saying that with young children, a good sleep lets them fix and consolidate their memories.

The amount of sleep we need remains to be established. Clearly it varies from one individual to another. The ideal would be to wake naturally in the early morning, which would mean going to bed in the evening as soon as you start to feel sleepy. That’s the price you have to pay for all the benefits of a good restorative sleep.

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